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WILKES-BARRE — Martz Trailways and the Luzerne County Transportation Authority have partnered to fund a newly-formed city police detail tasked with presenting an authoritative, visual presence to deter crime at the James F. Conahan Intermodal Transportation Center.
The detail, which this week began proactive patrols of the $25 million downtown transit hub, will consist of one full-time Wilkes-Barre police officer per day, Monday through Saturday, according to Norm Gavlick, interim executive director of the LCTA.
Board members in September agreed to enter into what Gavlick termed a “memo of understanding,” agreeing with Martz on a cost not to exceed $25,000 per year. Martz will handle direct billing and provide invoices to LCTA officials, who will reimburse Martz for 50 percent of the costs, he said.
Gavlick said the length of the partnership is “open-ended.”
The intent behind forming the detail, Gavlick explained, is to discourage behavior he believes has given the intermodal a “less than favorable” reputation, including conflicts sparked by loiterers under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
“Our employees see it, our drivers see it and deal with it on the buses,” Gavlick said. “If this helps clear some of that up and makes people more comfortable and keeps some of those people out of there, then the folks who want to ride buses will feel more comfortable.”
Gavlick maintained the decision was not an indictment of the intermodal’s now former security team, which he said had the power to detain suspects but was often at the mercy of making a phone call to city police and waiting for an officer to arrive. Rather, the difference was a matter of authority.
“An authoritative city police officer with full powers of arrest is a much bigger deterrent,” Gavlick said.
The intermodal’s contract with Century Security Services will be dissolved, said Lisa Rohland, Martz director of terminals.
“We feel by working with Wilkes-Barre police that we can just have a little bit more protection,” Rohland said.
On what Rohland said was the first scheduled day of patrols, the detail paid dividends.
An officer patrolling the intermodal Wednesday observed a 26-year-old woman who provided him with false identity, according to information posted on the city police department’s Facebook. The woman had an outstanding warrant for aggravated assault in Ashley Borough and was taken into custody.
According to city spokesperson Liza Prokop, it was the detail’s only arrest as of Friday.
Gavlick downplayed the importance of arrest totals, instead focusing on the long-term effect of a noticeable police presence.
“Part of our desire is to have people know that there is an officer there that will be patrolling,” he said. “We’re hoping all our passengers and customers that come through the intermodal have a better sense of comfort and security there for them.”
